Freedom City
Heroes of Freedom City The Freedom League: Doctor Metropolis “Where he came from is a mystery and, if he has answers, he’s not providing them. Still, Dr. Metropolis is the hero with perhaps the strongest ties to Freedom City, and he takes the protection of ‘his’ city very seriously. “Dr. Metropolis first appeared in the aftermath of the Terminus Invasion. As rescue workers and military personnel sifted through the rubble looking for survivors and surveying the damage, a group of them saw a humanoid figure rise up out of the wreckage. His body was made of concrete and metal, the very substance of the materials around him. He looked at them with glowing green eyes and said, ‘I am Metropolis.’ Although he would offer no further explanation, the mysterious figure agreed to speak with the authorities. “Although he did not respond to questions regarding his origins, the city-entity was intent on helping Freedom City, and help he did. He began working with the scientists and rescue workers investigating the effects of the Terminus Invasion on the city. They in turn studied him, and eventually dubbed him ‘Dr. Metropolis,’ a name he accepted as his own. His ability to ‘connect’ with the environment of the city allowed him to sense things throughout the area, so he directed emergency personnel to injured people and away from dangerous instabilities. He could also control and shape the material structure of the city at will, helping shore up damaged buildings, repair broken water mains, and restore streets to allow emergency vehicles access where they were most needed. “When the relief work was complete, Dr. Metropolis helped make Mayor Michael O'Connor’s dream of a new Freedom City a reality, repairing the damage to the city in record time, literally rebuilding it from the rubble. As a direct result of Dr. Metropolis’ efforts, Freedom City features architecture unparalleled across the world and an infrastructure the envy of cities everywhere. “Dr. Metropolis initially accepted an offer to join the Freedom League, largely because it was a way to actively help protect his city. Some Leaguers believe he was also looking for friends who could understand him, a hunch that has proven at least moderately true. Since then, Dr. Metropolis has won the trust and respect of his teammates, some of whom have made the effort to reach the gentle, artistic soul they sensed beneath his cold exterior.” Personality “Dr. Metropolis is an innocent in many regards, a true tabula rasa when he first appeared. Although he is aware of a great deal about Freedom City and its people, human nature is still a mystery to him in many ways. Intensely reasonable, his manner can seem brusque, even cold, but is merely reserved. Metropolis does indeed experience the full range of emotions, although some of the darkest amongst humans, like hatred, are difficult for him to understand. “Dr. Metropolis treats Freedom City much as a gardener tends his prize garden, or a caretaker the property in his charge. He seeks to not only protect and repair the city, but to preserve its character and history, while also advancing its best qualities. The places and buildings of Freedom are as individual to Metropolis as the people (more so, in some regards), and some of them are creations of his imagination, the works of a great urban artist. Powers & Abilities “Some have described Dr. Metropolis as a ‘city spirit.’ His inhuman body is an amalgamate form of concrete, metal, and glass. By all rights, he shouldn’t even be able to move, much less think or talk, but he does, animated by the same mysterious force he passes on to the materials he controls. He ignores most human concerns, having no need to breathe, eat, or rest, and his body is incredibly strong and resilient. When damaged, Dr. Metropolis can rapidly ‘repair’ himself using his powers, drawing substance from the urban materials around him, if need be. “Dr. Metropolis can ‘meld’ into any city structure, his body passing harmlessly into it and disappearing. While melded with the city, he can sense ongoing trouble that harms the city (tracking for radiation, sensing the use of superhuman powers, or even listening for a particular sound) and then reform at the site of the problem. He also has a powerful ‘empathy’ with cities, Freedom City in particular. He can sense things happening throughout the city, sometimes in the form of visions, but usually as vague premonitions of important events. “Metropolis can bend the physical structure of a city to his will, animating and reshaping parts of it. At Dr. Metropolis’ command, lampposts reach down to grab fleeing criminals; streets buckle and ripple like waves; broken window-glass fails to touch innocent bystanders; and sidewalks grow hands to restrain opponents. No matter what happens, Dr. Metropolis makes sure everything goes back to normal, at least in terms of the physical status of the city. If not for his presence, the Freedom Public Works Department would need ten times the number of personnel working around the clock to keep up with the damage the city sustains. “Dr. Metropolis’ powerful ‘urban empathy’ comes with a price: His connection to the urban environment is so strong that he weakens when removed from it for any length of time. A sojourn through a park or greenbelt has little effect, but time out in a rural or wilderness area affects Metropolis like a progressive illness. Within hours, he weakens, and within a day or so lapses into a coma-like state, his form beginning to crumble, rust, and collapse. If this persisted long enough, it is possible Metropolis might not be able to reconstitute himself and would ‘die’ (whatever that means for an entity such as him).”Kenson, S. 2017. “Heroes of Freedom City.” In Freedom City, 3rd ed., 181–82. Seattle, WA: Green Ronin Publishing. Freedom City Freedom City History (abbreviated synopsis) The World at War: 1941-1945 “Although a number of supermen were active by the 1940s, the summer of 1941 saw the first appearance of the first super woman, with the same name and motif as the Revolutionary-era Lady Liberty, but this Lady Liberty could fly through the air and stop tanks with her bare hands. The sultry Siren appeared not long thereafter, gifted with powers from the sea, including a hypersonic singing voice. The Liberty League “The Liberty League was the world’s first true superhero team and the premier team during the 1940s and '50s. A number of heroes banded together under orders from President Roosevelt and the guidance of Dr. Tomorrow, the Man from the Future. * Dr. Tomorrow (Tom Morgan/Tomas Morgen) * Beacon (Langston Albright) * Bowman & Arrow (Fletcher Beaumont & Tim Quinn) * Centurion (Mark Leeds) * Dr. Atom (Alexander Atom) * Eldritch (Adrian Eldrich) * Envoy (Sarlyn) * Freedom Eagle (Michael O’Connor) * Johnny Rocket (Johnny Wade) * Lady Liberty (Donna Mason) * Midnight (Travis Hunter) * Patriot (Jack Simmons) * Siren (Lynn Sidon) Post-War Freedom: 1945-1959 “In 1945, World War II came to an end with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although Dr. Tomorrow returned home to the future, the Liberty League remained together. Freedom Eagle became their new chairman and they maintained their headquarters in Freedom City. With the war over, they confronted profiteers in occupied Japan and Germany, aided in the rebuilding of Europe, and fought the Crime League and other malcontents in America. Heroes Return: 1960-1972 “By the start of the 1960s, much of the Red Scare fervor of the HUAC hearings and the disbanding of the Liberty League had died down. Heroes like Centurion and Lady Liberty continued to operate, largely ignoring criticism of their activities. Prosperity across America seemed to bring out both the good and the bad, as supervillains returned from inactivity and new threats appeared from the skies and other dimensions. Luckily, heroes old and new answered the call, and superheroes returned to Freedom City. Freedom’s Twilight: 1972-1992 “The 1970s saw the beginning of another decline for costumed superheroes. Heroes fell prey to villains and their own human frailties, others went missing for long periods of time or left Earth for other endeavors, while still more began to feel their age and retired or passed away. “An increasing number of occult scares occurred during the 1970s, including the arrival of the vampire lord Dracula in Freedom City and the exposure of several ‘Satanic’ cults, most of them connected with the long-hidden Serpent People. The murderous Jack-a-Knives went on a killing spree in the summer of 1977, while the Atom Family grappled with the lupine Wolfjack (actually their teammate Jack Wolf, under the influence of the cosmic Moonstone). Mystic figures like Lantern Jack and Eldritch were often associated with these happenings, although few gave them any credence. A New Freedom: 1993-2003 “Freedom City’s fortunes seemed bleak for a long time, but the early 1990s saw changes large and small heralding a new day in the city by the bay. The city’s darkest hour was the Terminus Invasion. Omega and his forces once again invaded Freedom City, but this time there were fewer heroes to stop them and they quickly established a beachhead. “Although the FORCE Ops fought back, they were no match for an army of Omegadrones, let alone Omega himself. The world’s heroes united against Omega, resulting in a climactic battle in Freedom City, devastating the downtown area. A number of heroes perished in the struggle, including Andrea Atom, Mentac, members of FORCE Ops, and Centurion himself, who sacrificed his life in single combat with Omega, shattering the mad nihilist’s support-armor and driving him back into the Terminus. “In the aftermath of the Invasion, large areas of Freedom City were damaged or destroyed, the downtown area all but leveled, and some of the world’s greatest heroes were dead, but the bravery and sacrifice of those heroes kept things from being far worse. Freedom City reeled from the terrible blow, and might never have recovered had it not been for two figures: Doctor Metropolis and Michael O'Connor, Jr. “A mysterious entity of concrete, glass, and steel rose from the rubble of the city after Omega’s defeat. Known as Dr. Metropolis, this ‘urban spirit’ used his amazing powers to help restore Freedom City, making it better and stronger than ever before. He rarely had help from many others, as heroes like Daedalus (who returned from his wanderings in space to help fight Omega) pitched in however they could. Some initially believed Metropolis was the soul or reincarnation of the Centurion, though this has since been proven not to be the case.”Kenson, S. 2017. “Freedom City History.” In Freedom City, 3rd ed., 25–28. Seattle, WA: Green Ronin Publishing. Secrets of Freedom City The Centurion “Although some masked ‘mystery men’ appeared before him, the Centurion was Freedom City’s first true superhero and remains one of its greatest to this day. He was born on a parallel Earth where the Roman Empire never fell; this Earth also held a far more advanced technological civilization than any on twentieth century Earth, having never experienced a Dark Age. “Invading forces from the Terminus, led by Omega, were on the verge of conquering that Earth when one of its leading scientists placed his infant son in an experimental dimensional capsule and sent it across dimensions to another habitable world: our own Earth. In so doing, he inadvertently exposed Freedom City to a cascade of dimensional energies and made Omega aware of its existence. Exposure to the cosmic energies also changed the infant, giving him the potential for tremendous powers. “A ‘shooting star’ seen above Freedom City streaked westward and came quietly to rest in Wharton Forest. Tom Leeds found the capsule and the baby boy inside. Concealing the life-pod, Leeds and his wife Mabel turned the child over to the Danvers Orphanage in Freedom City and adopted him soon thereafter, naming him Mark. “The Leeds raised Mark and, as his powers matured, taught him to use his gifts responsibly. Young Mark Leeds later learned the truth about his origins, the existence of the Terminus, and the world from which he came thanks to a recording device in his life-pod. Fashioning a Roman inspired costume to conceal his true identity, he adopted the sobriquet ‘Centurion’ and used his powers to fight crime and injustice. In his secret identity, Leeds worked as a professor of history at Freedom City University, specializing in the Roman Empire. “The Centurion was a founding member of both the Liberty League and the Freedom League. It wasn’t until his time with the Freedom League that it became clear the Centurion’s powers included a greatly extended lifespan — although over forty years old by the founding of the Freedom League, he still looked like a man in his late twenties. “Mark Leeds married Laurie Lamont in the 1950s. They were never able to have children, most likely because of the cosmic energies that altered Mark’s physiology. Mrs. Leeds passed away in the late 1980s while Mark remained young and vital, using makeup to make it appear Mark Leeds was aging normally. Leeds disappeared into ‘retirement’ after his wife’s death, and Centurion spent most of his time in his costumed identity. He was invited on several occasions to live with the Ultima, but felt he couldn’t abandon his responsibilities to the world. “Throughout much of his career, one of the Centurion’s greatest foes was Omega, destroyer of his home world. Centurion swore the same fate would not befall his adopted home, finally giving his life in battle against the Lord of the Terminus to save the world; every nation on Earth mourned his loss. Freedom City commissioned and dedicated the Sentry Statue in his honor, and the legacy of the Centurion continues to inspire a new generation of heroes.”Kenson, S. 2017. “A Secret Past.” In Freedom City, 3rd ed., 80–81. Seattle, WA: Green Ronin Publishing. References Category:Ψ-GV1469.62.M88